Do Hamsters Hibernate? How do I help a Hibernating Hamster?

It can be pretty scary when you find your little one not moving, especially if it’s a little one that is unable to tell you if they are feeling down or sick.

Unfortunately, this seems to be fairly common for hamster owners, so why is that? Are they sleeping for a long time? Are they dead? Are they hibernating?

Short Answer

You might be surprised, but your hamster is still fully capable of hibernating, just like one would in the wild!

What is Hibernation?

Hibernation (also known as torpor, denning, brumation or aestivation when in warmer climates) is a process that helps protect animals in seasons where resources such as food tend to be scarce.

In the wild, it is the process that would help determine whether the animal lives or dies. Dependant on the location or species of the animal, they may choose to hibernate in different seasons (not just winter.)

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How does an animal prepare?

In the wild, all animals who hibernate will slow their metabolism down. This begins triggering their body to reduce in temperature, which will follow with their heartbeat slowing down as well as their breathing which will cause them to enter a “comatose-like” state.

This is why you can easily mistake your hamster as dead, especially if their breaths are small and you can’t see their lungs expand. This is done to preserve as much energy and inner resources as possible.

Think about all those chubby squirrels you see right before winter, they have to save all of their energy/fat to make sure that they survive the long 3-5 months.

Are animals always safe during hibernation?

Unfortunately not. When hibernating animals are actually most vulnerable. This is due to the fact that they are not able to “wake up” easily and move if something is to attack them.

Keep this in mind if you’re trying to get your hamster to stop hibernating. I will cover ways to reverse the process further in the article but don’t try to move your hamster or “wake it up.”

If the animal becomes buried in their burrow they will not be able to dig themselves out and unfortunately, this is a common way that hibernating creatures die.

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So, I admit my house was super cold and my hamster’s not moving… do I have anything to worry about?

Sadly yes. You’re going to have to make sure whether or not your hamster has also caught hypothermia.

Hypothermia usually happens when the temperature has dropped too quickly or unexpectedly, which could potentially happen when living in a house, especially if the cage is close to a window.

It’s especially concerning for an indoor hamster to hibernate in a cold home since often times there is no time for the hamster to prepare and get their bellies filled to stay warm. That being said, underweight hamsters can easily get sick.

What would a Hamster need to do to prepare?

Well, similar to most animals like bears they would have to eat lots and gain lots of weight, they’d need to build themselves a nice & warm “hidey-hole”, and they’d need to gather lots of food for safe keeping.

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How long would this take a wild hamster?

It would take a hamster the full year to prepare for hibernation. Crazy, huh?

You would think that it would take a few weeks or a month at most, but no! These little guys need to spend the year getting enough fat to burn during their dormant months.

So how can I prevent my Hamster from Hibernating? What are some of the signs?

Your hamster will Shake or Shiver

Your hamster will go limp when you try to pick them up

You will not be able to detect their heartbeat

Your hamster will burrow itself into its bedding

Your hamster will be curled up in a “protective area”

Your hamster may look like it is in a comatose-like state

You will not be able to see them breathe (or they will be breathing too quickly)

You will notice your hamster is not eating as much, hasn’t drunk anything or hasn’t pooped or peed recently

You’re going to want to make sure you take your hamster to the vet immediately if you see any of these signs.

You may also want to slowly raise the temperature slowly to see if your hamster wakes up.

In general, make sure that the temperature in your house is around 65-75°F or 18.3 to 24°C to ensure that your little one isn’t going to hibernate. This is true for Syrian Hamsters, Roboroski Hamsters, Dwarf Hamsters & Russian Dwarf Hamsters. (Although Dwarf & Russian Dwarf Hamsters can take up to 80°F or 26.7°C.)

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My vet doesn’t provide services for Hamsters, so I’m on my own. How long will my Hamster Hibernate?

As long as your hamster hasn’t caught hypothermia, you may have to wait a few days for them to fully return to normal.

Make sure during this time to check the temperature frequently. Slowly raise the temperature of your home to the proper temperature and do your best to avoid shock.

You may also want to gently warm up your hamster with a small blanket or by holding them close to your body. You will want to be very careful and will want to do this for about 30-minutes. Remember, they’re in a very vulnerable state and you don’t want to harm them.

If you’re feeling brave, you can try a hot water bottle, but don’t put your hamster too close to it as that will put them into shock.

I would strongly suggest using a heating element to rapidly warm up your hamster. It will put your hamster into a shock and may, in turn, kill your hamster.

If your hamster has hibernated for longer than 24-hours you will have to take your hamster to the vet, especially if they have not prepared for hibernation. An unprepared hamster may end up being dehydrated or may become malnourished.

If you are worried about your hamster being hydrated you can drop a few drops of water into their mouth to keep them hydrated. Again, be very careful with this.

You may also want to provide more bedding for your hamster. Make sure you don’t suffocate them but make them feel as comfortable or warm as they can be.

Make sure your hammy friend isn’t near a window or a room that gets too cold. (For example, for some reason our bathrooms are ALWAYS freezing, while our kitchen remains a warm temperature.

Some people recommend reptile heating pads, however, I’m fairly uncomfortable with them. The only reason is that a lot of them don’t have an auto turn off and you can’t control the temperature. I would only use these as a last resort if you cannot find a suitable room for your little friend.

I’m wishing you the best of luck in this hard time! Please feel free to let me know how things go for you.

Reader Interactions

Comments

This article has helped a lot. My daughter called me at work today, crying, because Coco (her Siberian hamster) was in a cycle of shaking and going limp. Later in the evening when she went to check on him, she thought he was dead and came running into my room, sobbing. I told her to come say goodbye, and imagine both our surprise when, after she stroked his fur, he took a breath. It seems he’s in hibernation but I don’t know what triggered it. The weather hasn’t been very cold outside and we keep the house warm. The cage is close to a window and I suppose that paired with how dark it is outside right now may have triggered it, but it seems odd. However, he takes an occasional breath and didn’t seem to be exhibiting any peculiar behavior before the symptoms listed above so hibernation seems to fit best.
Fingers crossed he makes it through the night!